


The Globe

by midnightecho



Category: Merlin (TV), Merlin (TV) RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-03 23:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightecho/pseuds/midnightecho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bradley observes a rehearsal of The Tempest which Colin will be performing in the Globe Theatre this spring and Colin has a lovely surprise in store when it's finished.<br/>In Part 2, opening night is always better with a dose of excited fangirls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rehearsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bradley observes a rehearsal of The Tempest which Colin will be performing in the Globe Theatre this spring and Colin has a lovely surprise in store when it's finished.

The floor of the old theatre was surprisingly comfy; Bradley had been sat there for the whole rehearsal and was perfectly happy to sit there for another couple of hours if he needed to. The gathering dark made the performance even more atmospheric, especially when the lighting system illuminated the expressions and movements onstage. He watched transfixed as his partner stepped up and gave an emotion-filled monologue; watched his darting, concerned eyes, the dramatic pauses and the pure innocence of his character they he portrayed expertly, seemingly without effort.

It was a completely different experience to watching him film solo scenes of Merlin; here he was performing to an entire room rather than just a camera, and he more than filled the theatre – if people were sat in the seats behind Bradley at that moment, he knew each and every one would be captivated, even if they didn’t know what he was going about or didn’t pay attention to the rest of the play. This moment would be different.

As Bradley watched, a huge surge of pride welled up inside him. Colin had come so far since they had first started on Merlin – not that he wasn’t already an incredible actor then. That was what had made Bradley like him in the first place; once he got past his co-star’s dark sense of humour, they clicked. Bradley’s own acting became more realistic as their friendship developed, they shared more laughs with the rest of the cast and they had soon become a close-knit family.

The offers from other shows since the ending of Merlin was announced weren’t surprising, and Colin’s NTA was one of the best moments the show had ever experienced. The memory was still strong in his mind as the monologue finished, and he realised a silent proud tear was rolling down his cheek. He resisted the urge to stand and applaud (as they probably wouldn’t allow him to sit in on run-throughs again if he did) but he caught his boyfriend’s eye before he disappeared offstage. In that moment, he had never felt more for the man and he longed to run up and kiss him hard there and then.

Bradley sat through the rest of the rehearsal in awed silence. He stood, clapped and whistled when the cast bowed at the end despite being the only person there. Colin grinned down at him and as soon he was given the all-clear, he jumped down from the stage and ran to his Bradley.

They embraced for what seemed like an eternity, Colin nuzzling into his boyfriend’s neck and Bradley inhaling his comforting scent.

When they finally drew apart, Bradley took Colin’s face in his hands, looking deep into his eyes, and said, “You. Are. Amazing.”

Colin gave an abashed smile and looked down at his feet, then back up at Bradley through his lashes.

“I love you so much,” Bradley smiled before planting a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.

“I love you too,” the Irishman grinned. “I’ve got to go and get changed, so I’ll be back in a minute.” He kissed Bradley once more and ran off backstage.

Bradley gazed after him for a moment with half a mind to follow and help him change, but decided to give him a little space. Instead, he reseated himself and picked up the programme, finding the page with Colin’s profile. He re-read the bio, beaming. He doubted anything could be better than where they were now.

A rustling caught Bradley’s attention, and when he looked up he saw Colin shuffling towards him, dressed in his regular clothes again, carrying a hamper. He set it before the bewildered Englishman and opened it up, unfolding and laying the blanket that sat on top and taking a seat.

“What’s this?” Bradley managed to say.

“The theatre doesn’t close for an hour, and the owner agreed for us to have it to ourselves till then. So I brought dinner.” Colin was grinning at his boyfriend’s stunned reaction.

“Wow.” Bradley let out a short, disbelieving laugh. He gave his head a small shake and moved to the hamper, saying, “So what have we got?”

Inside he found the most extravagant picnic he’d ever seen; all the classics – cocktail sausages, scotch eggs, sandwiches, cakes, crisps, drinks plus so much more – and then there was a small roast chicken at the bottom, a still-warm basket of chips and a fresh fruit salad. As they set out the luscious array of food, a finely dressed man walked through with a candle, which he set beside them and lit before retiring.

The pair felt a little like they were back on the Merlin set in the middle of a feast – but this was somehow better. No knights getting in the way (Rupert always did his best to completely sabotage any moment between them), no Gwen being dragged along on the picnics: it was perfect. They ate for what felt like hours, somehow managing to finish the majority of the food between their jokes and laughter and play-fighting, and when they finally lay back on the picnic rug, heads together looking out up at the stars twinkling above them, they felt simply on top of the world.

“We just had a picnic in the Globe,” Bradley said for the third time that evening, although this time it was an awed whisper as opposed to a baffled exclamation.

“We did,” Colin answered from beside him. Bradley felt his boyfriend’s hand find his own and link them delicately. “And it was the best picnic of my life.”

Bradley could hear the smile in Colin’s voice and smiled too. As a stray star shot across the sky, he knew that this was one of those perfect moments he would remember forever.


	2. Opening Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bradley attends the first night of Colin's performances at the Globe and on seeing him up on stage is the proudest man alive. He also meets some fans...

It’s an odd phrase, to say that one can feel eyes on them, considering first the fact that the eyes do not do the seeing, rather receive the light reflected from objects around, and then that sight is a separate sense to touch entirely; nevertheless, Bradley thought it the perfect phrase to describe how he felt as he walked into the theatre that first night.

He’d decided to join the standing crowd for the opening night and was starting to regret it. He’d opted for his shades, as he often did in public, but he was just as easily recognised. The crowds around him huddled together as he passed, whispering among themselves, daring each other to approach him but none having the guts. He should have known better really, seeing as the fact that Colin would be starring was advertised as its main asset, but he wanted to be down the front, able to admire his boyfriend’s work from the best position possible. It’s not even that he minded having the fans around – he’d had some great conversations with fans in the past and always loved meeting them because he could show them that he’s just a normal person. But when they looked from a distance, and he could only see them in his peripheral, he was suddenly self-conscious, alienated, different. They could be saying anything about him, and he knew usually they weren’t saying anything offensive, but there was always the feeling that they were.

As he reached the front, a flood of relief flooded through him; he saw Eoin, Tom and Rupert in a cluster chatting and a grin spread across his face as he noticeably relaxed and sped up his pace to join them. When he reached them, he pushed his shades into his hair and pulled Eoin and Tom’s shoulders apart, opening the circle so he could join them.

“Hey, Bradders!” Eoin laughed in his gravelly Irish tones, slapping him on the arm. “Cutting it a bit fine, aren’t you?”

“It doesn’t start for half an hour!” Bradley exclaimed.

“Still, can’t be too ready,” Tom said, casually shuffling around Bradley to move to Eoin’s other side. Bradley shared an amused look with Rupert; everyone on set had noticed, particularly during the filming of the final episode, but the two were still yet to confirm that anything was going on. The sight of Eoin wrapping a friendly arm around his colleague’s shoulders brought a wave of nostalgia and suddenly Bradley’s arm was around Colin as he used his friend and the bar for support, their faces impossibly close. Only now as he looked back, even through the haze of intoxication, did he notice how flustered and bashful Colin had been, how obvious his emotions had been whenever they were on their own. His features were open and vulnerable as Bradley had gazed up dizzily at them, anticipating his next motion, not seeming to care that Bradley was pissed out of his mind – or even overacting it a little, Bradley remembered – only caring that they were close enough to feel each other’s breath on their lips, so close that it would just be awkward if they didn’t close the gap, and as Bradley did so, he watched Colin’s eyelids flutter closed, felt him exhale against him—

A tentative tap on his shoulder brought Bradley jolting back to the present, and he turned to see a group of three teenage girls gazing up at him in admiration. The one in front clutched a programme and pen tightly in her hands and hastily brushed her fringe from her eyes.

Bradley started the standard routine for meeting fans: dazzling smile, welcoming look, spread arms wide and say, “Hey, who do we have here?”

The girls behind the spokesperson reddened and hid behind their hair, giggling to each other. The one in front, who had obviously been elected to do the talking, suppressed a swoon and took a small shuffling step forward. “Hi,” she said shakily. “I’m Megan.”

“It’s great to meet you, Megan,” he grinned, extending a hand, which she shook timidly. “And who are your friends back there?”

The other two girls murmured that they were called Sophie and Julia and shook his hand as well.

“What can I do for you?” Bradley asked.

“Oh, we just wanted to say hi,” Megan explained, though she looked like she wanted to say more. “Well,” she then added, “we were wondering if we could maybe perhaps get um... an autograph?”

“Sure,” Bradley said, smiling at the hesitance of the girls and finding himself warming to their bashfulness.

“We-we’re huge fans of Merlin, in case you were wondering,” Megan proceeded to stutter as he took the programme and flicked to the familiar page with Colin’s bio on it. “Ridiculously huge fans – Sophie even writes – wait, you don’t want to know about that... W-we recognised you as soon as you came in, we were just a bit, you know, unsure of whether you wanted to be approached – but I guess it’s too late now if you don’t... Sorry. Rambling.” Megan exhaled heavily, apparently frustrated with herself. When Bradley looked up, she was bright red, and she swallowed before amending, “I still can’t believe it’s finished. Forever. My Saturday nights will be nothing without Merlin.” Bradley was a little surprised at how genuinely traumatised this girl was that the show had finished. “But I guess it must be nothing compared to what it’ll be like for you guys, you’ve worked together for 5 years on it.”

“At least you and Colin will still see each other all the—”

“Shut up, Sophie!” Julia hissed, elbowing her friend in the side rather more forcefully than Bradley thought was appropriate. She smiled apologetically at his surprised expression, and Megan filled in before the moment became too awkward – which just made it all the more awkward.

“Sorry about her, she just got a bit over excited – ignore what she said, if there is anything happening, which we’re not assuming there is, then it’s completely your business – just forget everything we just said, we should probably, um, go now...”

Megan grabbed the top of the programme and turned to go, avoiding Bradley’s eyes, but in that split second he made a decision he’d been wanting to make for a long time and held the bottom of the programme firmly. The girl started and turned back in surprise when the shiny pages didn’t come free. She looked up at Bradley, confused, and he clasped at nothing for the right words.

When the silence settled, he started to panic. The three girls were watching him expectantly and hopefully, Rupert was leaning on his shoulder, wanting in on the fame, a few people standing around were also listening to their conversation.

The walls closed in as the silence extended, and Bradley felt it again: the feeling that he had to be something more, that everyone was watching and as though every move he made was analysed. Time seemed to slow as incomprehensible thoughts flowed through his mind.

But slowly, one thing became clear. He longed to tell these enthusiastic fans of the certainty that him and Colin would see each other more than frequently, that whatever they thought was happening between them was true, that he loved him so much he could barely describe it. But he couldn’t. Not without Colin there beside him, just as willing, and for moral support and couple pictures that would surely ensue. No, for now, he would continue to make no comment, be present as part of the gang rather than a boyfriend.

One thing he couldn’t resist, however, was picking up the pen he’d placed back against the page and drawing a heart between his signature and the picture of Colin. He smiled to himself as he added a comment above it: ‘I don’t want to see this on Tumblr’.

He looked back to the waiting girls and handed to programme to Megan. He watched as she inspected the page with anticipation, and when her eyes fixed on the small message she looked back up at him with a face filled with such hope and wonder and clutched the pages to her chest. He smiled and dropped her a small wink and she gave a bubbly giggle before rushing forward and hugging him tight around the middle.

“Thank you,” she whispered, letting him go and handing to programme to her friends.

“No problem.”

An odd surge of satisfaction filled Bradley at that moment, simply for telling someone outside his close friends and family about the situation. He’d been on the social networking sites, he knew just how much not only the show but the people involved meant to the fans, and a bubble of happiness floated within him as he watched the girls’ wonder at his trust in them. One of them gave him a small nod of reassuring confidence before moving to talk to the boys and he knew that he could put his trust in the fans. They knew the cast almost as well as he himself, so much that meeting one was like meeting a previously unknown family member. He’d assumed for a long time it would be like meeting a stalker and tried to avoid the crazy looking ones, but in the end that craziness was just excitement. They could share secrets and details like old friends, and the only difference would be that the fan would get way more excited about the secret than a friend ever realistically would. And the more fans he met, the more he appreciated this extended family, the love they held for the same things as him, and the love they held for him.

Eventually, after getting a bystander to take a group photo, the three girls ducked away and returned to where they’d been standing, giving a small wave when they left. At that moment, the theatre lights went down and the four men gathered together, ready for the initiation of the performance.

 

The experience of the show that evening was, expectedly, completely different to the rehearsal. For a start, when Colin made his first appearance, the cheers from the audience were colossal, and Bradley found no problem in joining them with their whoops and claps that he had longed to make when he sat watching the run-through. His pride was multiplied tenfold as he watched his beautiful boyfriend act the part somehow even better than he had in rehearsals, and the electricity in room could be felt through the whole room whenever he spoke.

Once the play got started, Bradley knew he’d made the right choice to stand; he could see every actor clearly in front of him, and they could see him (Colin cast him a few exhilarated glances when the moment allowed) and even though it went on for a good couple of hours, he didn’t feel tired once during the play. The engrossing activity before him was enough that he didn’t notice his legs were still until the interval, and after a quick stretch he was fine again. It didn’t matter in the slightest.

Of the entire performance, the moment Bradley would forever remember as the most iconic and clear for years to come was the moment that he knew would take that title the first time he had seen it. As Colin finished his monologue, a united pulse of wonder filled the theatre and without needing to look, he knew that every eye was fixed on his Colin. For a moment, Bradley felt like he was back in the rehearsal and only he could see – the room was silent, and the moment was eternal. Now he blinked the proud tears from his blurry eyes, not caring in the slightest as they rolled freely down his cheeks because as Colin came to the end of the final line, he looked directly down at him, and everything else was meaningless. They were all that mattered, and the rest of the space around them dissipated. They understood one another fully and wholly in that moment, and nothing anyone said could take that moment away from them.

Then, breaking the stillness, Colin winked at his boyfriend and scampered offstage, to raucous cheers all around. Bradley felt arms around his shoulders as his knights supported him, yelling whoops right next to his ears. Eoin patted him hard on the chest and looked him dead in the eye and said, “That’s one cracking bloke you’ve got there.”

Bradley grinned back at him and joined the cheering around him until his throat was sore.

 

Bradley sat perched on the front of the stage as he waited for Colin to finish chatting to the small group of people who still surrounded him. The show had finished over an hour ago, but Colin couldn’t resist coming out and seeing every fan in the room. Last to see him were the trio from earlier, and as they left, Colin turned towards Bradley and started walking over. Behind him, Bradley saw Megan look around at the otherwise empty theatre, then between the two men, then pointedly at Bradley, giving a cheeky thumbs up before waving goodbye. He smiled and waved back, then turned to Colin as they found themselves alone at last.

Wordlessly, Bradley wrapped his arms around his Irishman and felt him slump tiredly against him. He nuzzled into Colin’s dark locks and murmured, “There are no words to describe how proud I am of you right now.”

He felt Colin smile against his shoulder. “I think this is words enough.”

They stood embraced for what felt like forever, and that was all they needed. No more needed to be said, and there was something wonderful about that feeling of mutual understanding that Bradley never grew tired of. He was quite content for everything to stay the way it was for the rest of his life.


End file.
